Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The alleys and archways along Rashid Street in central Tripoli were plunged in darkness this weekend, as the Libyan capital struggled to cope with widespread shortages of electricity. After sunset, the only light in one corner cafe came from two candles. Their flickering glow barely lit the faces of men seated at a handful of tables, where they were breaking their Ramadan fast. Nearby, residents trudged down the center of empty streets enveloped in darkness. Some men played music from parked cars. Others sat silently in doorways, their presence only marked by the glow of a cigarette butt.

The rapid deterioration of power supplies in

OPTIONS:
- CNN over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- Libya over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- Libyan over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- NATO over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- Ramadan over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- Rashid Street over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.
- Tripoli over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.


Tripoli over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.